


Mind, Heart and Soul

by Gilli_chan



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2018-07-25 17:57:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7542409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gilli_chan/pseuds/Gilli_chan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Greed survives and Ling takes him to Xing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It always hurts me when my fav chara of a series dies, so I decided to rewrite Greed's death.
> 
> A big thank you to [dammit-clint](http://dammit-clint.tumblr.com/) for proof reading ♥

It had been a few hours since Father had been defeated; the dust had settled, and everyone was busy with caring for the wounded and searching for survivors below the rubble.

Ling, Lan Fan and Mei were just about to say goodbye to Edward and Alphonse, when a soldier interrupted them.

“Fullmetal! Fullmetal!”

Annoyed, Ed turned around, frowning at the man, “What is it? Don’t you see that I’m in a conversation?”

“I know, and I’m sorry, Sir. But we found something between the rubble that you need to see! Hurry!” the soldier exclaimed agitated, which made Ed roll his eyes.   
“I’ll be right back, don’t run off to Xing yet, Ling,” he said and followed the soldier to some debris close to the place where they had fought Father.

“So, what was so important that…” Ed began, but stopped dead when he saw why the soldier had brought him here. “What the??? LING! Ling, come here!” he shouted to the Xingese prince, who followed his friend’s call at once.

“What is it, Ed? What did you find?” Ling asked, but Ed just pointed behind the debris. Ling looked towards the pointed direction and his eyes went wide. “Greed…GREED!”

Ling didn’t hesitate for even a second and rushed to the unconscious Homunulus’s side. He wanted to shake Greed awake, but didn’t dare to touch him. The Homunculus’s Ultimate Shield that normally protected him was covered in cracks; it looked like Greed might fall apart every second.

“How is this even possible? Didn’t we see him turn to dust just a few hours ago?” Edward asked, now standing next to Ling.  
“I have no idea,” Ling said, shaking his head in disbelief. “It happened so fast, I thought…”

As if it had heard them, a piece of graphite fell off Greed’s face, making the two boys flinch.

Ling had expected that he’d only see more graphite, where the little piece had broken off, but he saw skin. “What…?” Confused he turned his head towards Ed, who made the same disbelieving face as his Xingese friend.

Turning his attention back to Greed, Ling decided to do something bold and carefully removed another, larger piece of graphite, just to be met with the sight of a human-looking face.

“Uhm, Fullmetal, Sir, what do you want me to do right now? Should I call a higher officer to deal with...whatever this is?” the soldier, who had stood a few feet behind them, asked unsure, whereupon Edward lost his temper and shouted “No! You’re gonna call a medic! And bring a stretcher!”

_Sometime later in a medical tent._

Greed, still unconscious, was laying on a cot and covered by a blanket. Ling, having changed from his black sleeveless Nehru jacket and the black slacks back to his golden shirt and the white pants, sat next to him and turned his head when Ed entered the tent.

“Is he awake already?” the blond, former alchemist asked, to which Ling shook his head.

“No, not yet. He’s still sleeping, though I think he’s dreaming, his eyes move sometimes.” he looked back at Greed and asked, “Say, Ed, you knew him before he possessed me. Is this what he used to look like?”

Ed looked at the homunculus and nodded. “Yeah, pretty much. Well, he was wearing clothes the last time I saw him looking like this.” he said, which made Ling laugh.

“And for you? How did he look when he was...you know...inside you? God! Why is this question so embarrassing?!” Ed asked after a moment of silence, which earned him more laughter from Ling.

The Xingese prince crossed his arms and answered thoughtful, “His face pretty much resembled the face he got when he puts on his Ultimate Shield. Just in red. Oh and it floats and is surrounded by screaming souls.”

“That sounds creepy.” Ed replied, uncomfortable at the thought of having to stare at a floating face.

“Just at the beginning. It wasn’t that bad once I got used to it.” Ling replied, which made Ed roll his eyes.

The former alchemist sighed and patted his friends shoulder, “I’ll be outside. Have to make sure none of the higher officers decide that Greed’s too dangerous to be left alive.”

With that he left the tent, leaving Ling alone with his former ‘bodymate’.

Ling moved his chair closer to Greed’s cot and studied his face.  
It felt weird to look at him directly, instead of just looking at his soul. He had seen Greed’s face inside his soul, when he saw his memories about Bido and the others, but the faces of Greed’s friends had been more distinct than his own.  
So seeing him now was a little like meeting Greed again for the first time.

He had an angular face, short, spiky, black hair, narrow eyebrows and a long, straight nose. He looked so young. If Ling hadn’t known that Greed was several hundreds of years old, he would’ve said he were in his early twenties.

Ling sighed and laid a hand on Greed’s cheek, running his thumb along the Humunculus’s eyebrow, “Stop making me worry about you, you big idiot.”

These words seemed to work as Greed began to wake up slowly. Ling had just taken his hand away, when Greed opened his eyes.

“Hey.” Ling said, greeting his friend with a smile, getting a lopsided grin from him in return.

“Hey.”

“How are you feeling?” Ling asked.

“Like shit.” Greed replied grinning, “How come I’m not dead and in hell?”

“Don’t know, maybe the devil was afraid you’d try to rule his realm,” the prince replied, which earned him loud laughter from his friend.

“Could’ve happened, but I would’ve been more interested in a hot bath. Bet the lava lakes are great around this time of year.” Greed deadpanned, earning him a bop from Ling.

“Dork.”

Grinning Greed rubbed his head, just to pause, sit up and look dumbfounded at his hands. “What the hell? I got my body back?!”

“Yes, you did.” Ling confirmed and added, “Now put some clothes on. The others are waiting outside.” He shoved the black, sleeveless Nehru jacket and the black slacks onto Greed and got up from his chair. “I’ll wait outside with the others. Join us when you’re done.”

“Don’t order me around! I’m Greed! I do what I want!” the Homunculus exclaimed, but Ling just waved him off. 

“Yeah, yeah, then don’t put clothes on, I don’t care,” he said and left the tent, leaving Greed alone.

Outside, Ling was greeted by Ed, Al, Lan Fan, Mei and Major Armstrong.

“Ling, did Greed wake up? We heard laughter,” Al asked, leaning onto his big brother for support.

“Yeah, he’s awake.” Ling replied smiling.

“How’s he doing?” Ed asked concerned, whereupon Ling answered, “In his own words: He feels like shit, but I think he’s fine. He was surprised to have his body back though.”

“Prince Ling, did Greed seem different?” Major Armstrong asked in his booming voice.

“No?” Ling replied confused, so the major asked further. “He didn’t act odd, or anything? It is my observation, that Homunculi can be very deceiving.” He said, recalling his battle versus Sloth, who despite the name, was the fastest Homunculus.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” said a voice behind them. Everyone turned around to see Greed, walk towards them. He had his hands in his pockets and acted as cool as always, bringing a smile to Ling's face.

“Did I miss something, or what’s that about me acting odd?” Greed asked, whereupon Major Armstrong said, “We were discussing if it could be possible that Father could come back. Through you.” Armstrong took a step towards the Homunculus, leaned forward, and looked him into the eyes.

Greed made a face at the thought, “Seriously? I betrayed him twice and he basically ripped me out of himself and you really think he’d try to come back through me?” He cringed and rubbed his arms. “Thanks for making my skin crawl.”

“My apologies, I was just concerned that Father might be able to come back and we'd have to fight him again. Which would be disastrous, after Edward gave up his Alchemy to bring back Alphonse," the major said and took a step back.

Greed blinked at the major’s words and finally looked at Edward and Alphonse, “You did what? And it worked?”

“As you can see.” Ed grinned, still supporting Al and holding him close.

"Long time no see, Greed." Alphonse said smiling.

“There’s really no such thing as, ‘no such thing,’” Greed replied with a wide grin, showing his teeth. “Though, I thought you’d be less skinny,” he added which earned him a hit with the elbow from Ling.

“Ouch! What was that for, you royal brat?!” Greed exclaimed, rubbing his right arm and looking judgingly to Ling who had crossed his arms and returned the expression. “What that was for? For being such an inconsiderate brick.”

“What? I wasn’t being rude! ...I think.” Greed said, still rubbing his arm.  
Ed shook grinning his head and Al couldn’t stop himself from chuckling, “I’m glad to see you haven’t changed at all, Greed,” he said and then blinked in surprised when he noticed something. “Greed! Your hand!”

“What’s up with my hand?” Greed asked, looking confused at Al and then at his left hand just to see that his Ouroboros tattoo was missing from it. “What the hell?!”  
He started turning his hand, examining it closely and then did the same with his right hand, but he couldn’t find a single sign of his Ouroboros tattoo. “This is weird. Can someone explain to me where my tattoo went?” 

“I don’t know.” Ling replied, “I didn’t see it anywhere on your body.”

“It was part of me since the first day I started to exist. It can’t just...vanish!” Greed exclaimed, still utterly confused.

“Maybe it vanished with Father when Ed defeated him,” Mei remarked, standing next to Lan Fan. 

Greed turned his head towards her, giving her a thoughtful look. He looked back at his hands, and started to close and open them over and over and growing more frustrated with every moment that went by.

“Greed, what are you trying to do?” Ed asked, growing concerned by his friend’s behaviour.

“I’m trying to use my Ultimate Shield, but…I can’t.” Greed replied annoyed, opening and closing his hands again as proof. “Nothing is happening! What is this shit?!”

“Greed!” Ling said, laying his hand in his friend’s shoulder to calm him down.

“What?” Greed snapped back, more aggressive than he wanted.

Ling opened his eyes a little, looking very seriously at Greed. “Calm down!” he closed his eyes again and continued in a calmer tone. “Maybe you somehow became human? At least we can say that you’re either not a Homunculus anymore, or just lost your powers when Father died.”

“Ugh, damn!” Greed swore and rubbed his arm again. “I don’t know which it is, but I can say that I don’t heal anymore. My arm still hurts. Is that normal? Cause it sucks!”

Ling couldn’t help but smile a little. “Yes, that’s normal. You’ll have to get used to it.”

Lan Fan, who had stayed quiet till now, took a step forward beside Ling, so she could look directly at Greed and asked, “What do you intend to do now, Greed? You are freed from Father, so what are you going to do?”

Greed, who had put his hands back into the pockets of his pants, turned his head a little to Lan Fan and thought for a moment. “I think I’ll go home. I have a pub to manage.” 

Ed and Al’s faces fell, which confused Greed, “What? What’s that look? The ‘Devil’s Nest’ is a pub and even if I have lost most of my men, I’m still the owner of the most awesome pub in Dublith.”

“Greed…” Al began, but couldn’t continue, so Ed took over. “You don’t know, don’t you?”

“What? What do I not know? I remember the raid, if that’s what this is about it.” Greed replied just as confused as before.

“Greed...” Ed wasn’t sure how he’d tell it his friend, but decided he couldn’t talk around the bush anymore. “Greed, they are all dead.”

Realization came over Greed and he swallowed hard.

Major Armstrong noticed the shift in the atmosphere and turned to Edward and Alphonse, asking in his booming voice, “Am I right in my assumption that we’re talking about the pub we rescued Alphonse from?”

“Yes.” Al answered and asked, “Do you know what happened to it after Ed and I left the place, Major?”

The major closed his eyes and placed one hand on his chin. While he thought about the question for a moment, his blond lock of hair bounced in the wind. “If I remember right, and having a good memory is an ability that was passed down the Armstrong bloodline since ages, then Führer Bradley, my apologies, the Homunculus Wrath, ordered for it to be completely dismantled. All furniture got removed and stored in a military warehouse. I believe the building was then sold to someone, but I have no knowledge of who it was.”

All color vanished from Greed's face, he opened his mouth, closing it again as the color started to come back to his face. He bared his teeth and clenched his fists. “WHAT THE FUCK?! THAT WAS MY HOUSE! YOU CAN’T JUST GO AND TAKE MY FUCKING HOUSE APART! Wrath! That fucking piece of shit! Even when he’s dead, he manages to fuck my stuff up!” Greed turned angrily and kicked a stone, making it fly through the air, hitting and breaking the window of a military car thirty meters away. 

Greed turned back to the others, who gave him commiserating looks. “That was my home.” He said now with a sad voice, putting his hands back into the pockets of his pants, looking more hurt than angry.

Ling laid again one hand on his friends shoulder, trying to reassure him. “Are you alright?”

Greed shook his head. “No,” he replied, sounding defeated. “But without the others it wouldn’t have been the same anyways.” Sighing he added “Today’s really not my day.”

There was a moment of silence, until Major Armstrong cleared his throat and addressed Greed again. “My apologies, Greed. I am aware this is a very sensitive topic for you, and it may not be the best moment to ask this, but I have a question about your men.”

Greed, still looking defeated, looked up at the tall officer and replied, “What do you want to know?”

The major, thinking for a moment how he should phrase his question without hurting Greed any further, said, “After the raid, we had your men buried together with one headstone for all of them, because we did not know their names. I’d like to put their names on the headstone, and I wanted to ask if you remember them.”

Greed swallowed and nodded, looking down to the ground as he answered the major’s question. “I do. I remember their names. All of them. I also can give you their ranks, if you want them.”

Major Armstrong’s eyes widened with surprise. “I fought one of your men in the raid, he wore a military uniform, but I didn’t know there were more soldiers among them.”

“Roa.” Greed said with a sad smile. “But yeah, all of them were soldiers of the Amestrian military, before…” the former Humunculus paused for a moment, “...before they became my men.”  
“Your men were all deserters?” the major now asked, earning him a frown from Greed.

“Deserters, ha! They got injured in different battles, but instead of getting brought to a hospital, they got brought to a laboratory, where they got turned into chimeras, and so that no one would miss them, they got labeled as killed in action.” He sighed, shaking his head a little, “They fled from the lab through the sewers and eventually ended up below my pub.”

“Is that how you met Martel and the others?” Al asked now, whereupon Greed nodded.

“But that would’ve mean, that you were in the sewers. Why would you even be there in the first place?” Mei asked now, whereupon he looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

“Girl, I’m a thief, what do you think I did there? I came back from a raid and found them standing in front of my backdoor.” He shifted his weight to his other foot and added with a small smile, “we had a little talk, I asked them if they wanted to work for me, and they agreed. They got a place to stay, and I got men who’d help me to get rich. A win-win for everyone.”

“Well, this changes everything.” Major Armstrong exclaimed booming, which greatly unsettled Greed.

“So, you don’t want their names anymore?” 

The major leaned down, to be at the former Homunculus’s eye level and replied, “On the contrary, I would like you to give me their names, ranks and chimera species and then I, Alex Luis Armstrong, will personally make sure, that each of them will get reburied on the military graveyard with their own headstone. That I promise you, by the honor of the Armstrong lineage.”

Hearing those words, Greed’s face lit up. “Thank you,” he replied, looking genuinely happy.

“So, where do you want to go now, Greed?” Ed asked concerned, feeling bad that he had spoil the moment.

Greed’s turned his face to Ed and thought for a moment, frowning. Eventually he sighed and shook his head. “I have no idea. Without the Devil’s Nest, I don’t have a place where I could go.”

“Do you want to come to Xing?” Ling asked. Greed rolled his eyes. 

“Seriously? What do you want with a powerless Homunculus? I’d be totally useless to you.”

Annoyed, Ling grabbed Greed by the collar. “I’m not asking you because of your former powers! I’m asking you as a friend, who wants to give you a new home, you dense brick!”

Taken aback, Greed just stared at the Xingese prince, looking obviously speechless.

Ling let go of Greed’s collar and asked again, “So, do you want to come to Xing with me and Lan Fan?”

The former Homunculus swallowed and then nodded slowly, “Yeah. Yeah, I want to go to Xing with you.” He turned his head a little to the side and asked with a lopsided grin, “Think you got work for a barkeeper? I make some mean drinks.”

Ling smiled at Greed’s words. “I don’t know if I’ll have work for a barkeeper, but we’ll find something for you.” he replied and bopped him in the arm, making Greed wince. “Ouch! Not there!” he exclaimed and rubbed his arm again.

After Greed had written down all the names of his chimera friends, Ling, Lan Fan, Mei and the former Homunculus said goodbye to Ed, Al and major Armstrong made their way eastwards towards Xing, taking the body of Fu with them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angry hand holding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took longer to write than I thought, but I'm happy how it turned out.
> 
> Again a big _Thank you_ to the awesome [ace-spacepup](http://ace-spacepup.tumblr.com/) for the proof reading and helping in naming the Amestrian farmer ♥

Before the group left Amestris, they visited the town Ling, Lan Fan and Fu had arrived in when they first crossed the border and stopped in front of a farm. 

“What are we doing here?” Greed asked, looking around.

“When we first arrived here, we left some of our belongings at this farm before we traveled further inside the country,” Ling replied, still carrying Mei under his arm.

“Put me down!” she exclaimed angrily, but Ling just patted her head.

“No. You’re hurt, and I won’t let you make it worse,” he replied, making Mei pout. “Please wait here,” he said to Greed and Lan Fan who were carrying Fu’s body on a stretcher. He walked to the door of the farm house and knocked.

A middle-aged man, apparently the owner of the farm, opened the door. He had gray hair and looked like he worked outside every day. “Yes? How can I…Oh! Aren’t you the kid from Xing?”

“Yes, that’s me,” Ling replied, showing the man his best smile. “I’m glad you remember me.”

“Oh, how could I forget you? Your buffalo was a big help on the field,” the farmer replied. He stepped out of his house and closed the door behind himself, now seeing Mei hanging from under Ling’s arm. “And who is this little girl?”

Ling looked down to Mei, who still pouted at him, then back to the farmer and replied, “This is Mei Chang, my little sister.” 

This statement made Mei gasp out of surprise, confusing Xiao-Mei, who sat on Mei’s head, making her look between Mei and Ling, unsure if she should bite him.

“Nice to meet you Mei. My name is Simon Hetzel.” Simon said and shook Mei’s hand. “I’m the owner of this farm and met your brother when he crossed the border.” He then addressed Ling again, “You definitely want to pick up your things, am I right?”

“Yes. If it isn’t too much trouble.” Ling replied, scratching the back of his head.

“Of course not! Follow me.” Simon said and waved Ling to follow him behind the farm house.

He led them to the barn, where a water buffalo was drinking from trough in front of it.

“Isn’t that a Xingese water buffalo?” Mei asked surprised.

Ling nodded. “Yes, Fu, Lan Fan and I traveled with it through the desert.”

“Your brother asked me if he could leave the buffalo and some other things here while he’s in Amestris,” Simon explained and patted the buffalo on its back. 

“I’m sorry for the trouble, but it would’ve slowed us down if we had traveled further with everything.” Ling replied, scratching the back of his head.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I told you--he was a great help at the farm. With your buffalo, we got more work done than with two oxen. I don’t know what you feed your cattle, but it seems to be the right stuff.”

Ling just smiled while the farmer went into the barn.

“As expected from the Yao clan, you even got to travel with a water buffalo.” Mei said sighing, still hanging from Ling’s arm.

“Yes, I did, and now you will too.” Ling replied and put Mei onto the buffalo’s back. “As much fun as it is, to carry you like a bag of potatoes, you’re getting heavy.”

Shocked, Mei stared at Ling and was just about to say something, when Mr. Hetzel came back, carrying a box with various items inside.

“I think I found all the things you left here. Do you need anything else?” Simon asked, putting down the box near the water buffalo.

“Actually, yes. Please excuse me for a moment.” Ling replied and went back to get Lan Fan and Greed.

 

_Meanwhile on the driveway in front of the farm house._

Greed looked over his shoulder to Lan Fan. “You okay, sweetheart?” he asked, trying to start a conversation, but she only gave him a judging look. “Sorry about the old man. He was cool, ” he continued, looking at Fu’s body on the stretcher between them.

“Thank you.” Lan Fan replied after a moment of silence. “I am fine. How about you? How does it feel to not be a Homunculus anymore?”

“I’m good.” Greed replied with a grin on his face, but then got thoughtful. “Though, I’m starting to feel...weird. I can’t explain it, I just feel uneasy, but I have no idea if it’s because I’m not a Homunculus anymore, or not.” he said and shrugged.

Lan Fan nodded and looked Greed over. He noticed and asked grinning, “Like what you see?” which earned him a killing glare from her. “Hahaha, if looks could kill, I’d be dead now.”

“How can you joke about something like that?” Lan Fan asked.

Greed thought for a moment and said, “I died so many times in my life...” he began, but then paused for a moment, “I mean, I know that if I die this time, it will be the last time, but…” he paused again and sighed deeply. “I’m gonna end up in hell anyway, so why not make jokes about it.”

Lan Fan studied him for a moment. Seeing his shoulders tense occasionally while he tried to appear casual. “You are scared.”

Caught, Greed looked at her wide-eyed and then turned his head away from her again.

“Greed?” Lan Fan asked again.

“This whole being human thing is weird.” Greed replied mumbling, without looking back to her.

Lan Fan said nothing and only studied him from behind, leaving an awkward silence between them.

Greed clenched his hands around the handles of the stretcher. He was just about to say something, when Ling appeared from behind the house.

“Greed! Lan Fan! Come here!” he said and waved them to follow him.

They followed him to the barn, where Mei and Simon were waiting.

“Ah, the girl from before.” Simon said, remembering Lan Fan from their last meeting and greeting her with a nod. “And I see you got a new friend, but I can’t see the old man that was with you the last time.” he said and then noticed the stretcher between Greed and Lan Fan. “Oh, no. I’m terribly sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.” Ling replied. “I know you’ve already helped us more then we could ask for, but would you know where we could get a carriage, so we can bring Fu home safely?”

Simon thought for a moment and then said, “Gimme a moment.” going back into the barn, where he just had fetched the groups stuff.

Ling and the others looked at each other, slightly confused.

“What do you think he’s getting out of the barn?” Greed asked.

“I have no idea.” Ling shrugged.

A moment later, Simon came out of the barn again, pulling a small oxcart behind him.

“I think, this should do the job.” he said, yoking the water buffalo to the cart.

Ling was just about to protest, when Simon turned to him, holding a finger up. “No ifs and buts. You need a carriage and I have two, of which I only use one anyway.”

Ling stared astonished at Simon Hetzel for a moment and then bowed low. “Thank you so much.”

The group then readied up; they put Fu’s body onto the oxcart, Ling and Lan Fan bought supplies, everyone put on a cloak to shield themselves from the sun and wind in the desert.

Ling, Lan Fan and Mei on top of the ox had already crossed the Amestrian border, when Greed stopped right in front of it.

“Everything okay?” Ling asked, turning around to his friend.

“Yeah, it’s just… I never left Amestris before.” Greed replied, looking at the wide desert. “I feel weird, like I’m going to get lost.”

Ling smiled amused, “Don’t worry. Don’t forget, you’re not travelling alone.”

“That’s right. First time I’m the only soul in my body, but also the first time that I don’t feel alone.” Greed grinned and crossed the border to the desert, catching up with the others.

 

_They had wandered through the desert for some time, when the silhouettes of buildings came into sight._

“Is that a Fata Morgana, or why am I seeing houses in the deserts?” Greed asked, pointing towards the buildings in the distance.

“Those are the Ruins of Xerxes. We’re gonna take a rest there, before we travel further through the desert.” Ling replied, leading the group towards the ruins.

Greed had stopped when Ling had said where they were going and looked towards the buildings in the distance with an uncomfortable expression on his face. “The Ruins of Xerxes…” he mumbled to himself.

“Greed! Don’t stop, we need to get there before noon, or the desert sun is going to roast us.” Ling said, looking over his shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.” Greed replied and caught up with the others. He walked on the left side of the water buffalo, his hands in his pockets and looked more and more uneasy with every step he took towards their destination.

Lan Fan, who walked on the right side of the buffalo next to Ling, noticed his expression, but decided to just watch him for now. She would ask him about it later and this time she wouldn’t let him change the subject.

Mei, still riding the water buffalo, was watching Ling instead. She had remained silent since they had left the farm and still felt weird about how Ling had called her his sister. Not that it wasn’t true, but after years of fighting the other clans she was still kind of wary around him.

 

They arrived at the place, that once had been Xerxes, around noon. Just in time to seek shelter from the unforgiving desert sun.

Sitting below the roof of a ruined building, Ling attempted to treat Mei’s wound, just for her to slap him.

“Oww! Hey! Why are you hitting me? I’m trying to help you!” Ling said, rubbing his hurting cheek.

“Boys shouldn’t touch girls like this!” Mei replied sulkily, supported by Xiao-Mei who hissed at Ling from Mei’s shoulder.

Ling blinked at Mei and scratched his head. “Okay, fine.” He stepped outside, where Lan Fan was tying the ox to a pole and said “Lan Fan, could you please treat Mei’s wound.” 

“Yes, young prince.” Lan Fan said with a nod and headed inside.

Instead of following her inside, Ling went to Greed, who was filling up the water bottles of the group at the well. 

“Hey, idiot prince, when are we gonna continue our walk through this desert? I thought you didn’t want to lose more time.” Greed asked rather annoyed.

“It’s too hot to travel through the desert right now, we have to wait for the night till we can continue.” Ling explained, earning him a disgusted groan from the former Homunculus. “Is something wrong?”

Greed sighed, running one hand through his hair. “You know I was made out of the souls of the people who lived here, right? I…” he paused, glancing over the destroyed buildings, “Since we entered this place, no, since we started walking through this desert, I feel sick.”

“Greed…”

“It’s like I’m walking over my own grave.” Greed continued, rubbing his arms. “So can we leave? Now? ….please?”

“I understand how you have to feel, but we can’t leave yet. We’d all get sunstroke before we’d make it halfway through.” the young prince said, laying a hand on his friend’s shoulder squeezing it a little. “We leave at dusk. Think you can endure it till then?”

Greed hung his head a little and nodded. “I’ll try. Even though I feel like I’m gonna puke.” he said with a small grin, earning him a little nudge to the shoulder from Ling.

“Let’s go inside, we need to eat something. I’m hungry.”

“If I eat something, I’m definitely gonna puke.” Greed grinned, earning him another nudge.

Inside the house, the group was eating some of their rations, Greed being the only one who just gnawed on a piece of bread.

“Greed, you really need to eat more than that.” Ling insisted, but Greed just gave him a glance and continued chewing on his piece of bread. “If not now, then before we leave. You won’t make it through the desert with nothing in your stomach.”

“I know, but I’m not hungry at all.” Greed replied.

“Is something wrong?” Mei asked concerned, but Greed waved her off.

“This place is just making me feel sick. That’s all.”

After everyone had eaten their share, Ling took out their bed rolls and handed them out. “We need to rest, so we can travel through the night.”

Everyone went to sleep, except for Greed, who just couldn’t fall asleep. Restless, he got up and wandered through the ruins.

 

_Sometime later._

Greed was just feeding the water buffalo, when he got approached by Lan Fan.

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” she asked, concern showing in her voice.

“Yeah, but so should you.” he replied, sounding tired.

“I will go back to bed right away, but first I need to ask you something.”

“And what would that be?”

“Why did you go against your nature back then?” Lan Fan asked without beating around the bush. 

That question tripped Greed up, “What? I don’t know what you mean?”

“You know what I mean, Greed.” Lan Fan persisted, “You’re supposed to be a greedy and selfish egoist, yet you selflessly sacrificed yourself for the young prince. Why did you do that?”

Taken aback, Greed’s expression turned sour. He turned his face back to the water buffalo, for which he still was holding the feed bag. A moment went by before he answered without looking at Lan Fan. “Can I ask you something first?”

“Of course.” Lan Fan replied, waiting for his question.

“Why did you cut off your arm?” he asked, still looking at the buffalo.

Lan Fan reflexive flinched and grabbed her automail arm.

Greed noticed her reaction and turned his head towards her. “Did I hit a sore spot? Sorry, didn’t mean it that way. It’s just…” he sighed and scratched the back of his head, “when I got put into the royal brat, he told me that I could have his body, because if his retainer cut off her own arm for his mission, he could never face her again if he went back empty-handed. I’m just curious why you’d do that, that’s all.”

Lan Fan pursed her lips, deliberating about whether she should answer, or not. “Did the young prince really say that?” Greed nodded and she took a breath before she answered. 

“We were fighting Envy and Gluttony, trying to capture one of them, when suddenly King Bradley appeared.” She paused, gripping her automail arm tighter. “He slashed my arm, before I could react. My… the prince managed to escape to the sewer, but my arm had become useless, I was just dead weight, but whatever I said he just wouldn’t leave me behind.” Lan Fan got quiet, digging her fingers into her arm. “So I cut off my arm. It was the only way to protect my prince.” she said, ending her explanation with a determined look.

“You’re amazing!” Greed said with a big grin on his face, just to be met with an angry stare from Lan Fan.

“Are you making fun of me?”

Greed raised his hands defensively. “No, no, I’m being serious, you’re strong-willed and determined to do anything for your prince. I like that in a woman.”

“You still haven’t answered my question.” Lan Fan said now, trying to get the conversation back to the original topic and away from her.

Greed nodded, his expression became sad again, he turned back to the buffalo petting its head. “Sometime after my old man had put me inside Ling I killed a kid named Bido. He was…” his voice broke off and he swallowed hard before he could continue. “He was one of my men from the Devil’s Nest. He was mine...my… He was my friend and I killed him. That was me going against my nature.”

Shocked Lan Fan stepped closer and grabbed angry Greed’s collar, “How could you do that? What kind of monster kills his own friend?!”

Guilty Greed clenched his teeth. “Before my dad put me inside Ling, he purged my memories. He took everything away from me that he didn’t like about me. I couldn’t remember anything from my former life. Otherwise I would never had hurt Bido. Bido, Roa, Dolcetto, Martel, Ulchi and all the others, they were my friends. Friends of my soul. I would’ve never hurt any of them. Never! That’s why...” he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself before he continued, “When my old man tried to suck my philosopher’s stone out of Ling, Ling didn’t want to let go of me. He clung to my soul and just wouldn’t let go, kept saying that we should fight him together. But I knew that would’ve never worked. We would’ve just both got sucked into my old man. Ling would’ve died. So I did the only thing I could think of and did something I’ve never done before. I lied. I lied right into Ling’s face, telling him that we’d fight my dad together and when he dropped his guard, I punched him, so he’d let go off my soul.”

Lan Fan let go of Greed’s collar and looked at him. “But why would you do that?”

“Because, I didn’t want to lose another friend. The mere thought that another of my friends could die because of me makes me feel sick.”

“Thank you. For telling me and for protecting my...the young prince.” Lan Fan said after a moment.

“No problem.”

 

_Meanwhile back in the house._

Mei had sat up on her bed roll and looked over to Ling who was still sleeping. She watched him for some time, pursing her lips in thought. 

Carefully she tried to get up, but her hurt leg wouldn’t let her, so she crawled slowly over to him and attempted to poke him, but he caught her hand before she could do so.

“What are you doing?” Ling asked, slightly opening one eye.

Surprised Mei yelped and tried to pull her hand away. Which Ling let go after a short moment. He sat up and run a hand through his hair.  
“Why are you waking me up? You should be asleep anyway.”

Mei pouted at first, but then looked to the ground. “I wanted to ask you something?”

Ling said nothing and waited for her to continue, so she took a deep breath and finally asked what had been on her mind the whole day.  
“Why did you introduce me to the farmer as your sister?”

Confused, Ling blinked at her. “Well, we are siblings.”

“Yes, but...”

“I told you: I’m going to accept and protect all the other clans and because of that, I was thinking of making at least two major changes to how our country works.”

“What do you want to change?”

“First, I want to do away with the law that the emperor has to have one concubine from each of the fifty clans. I want to completely dispose of that.”

“What? Why would you do that?” Mei exclaimed confused.

“What good did it us do? The concubinage was supposed to unite the clans of Xing. What it did, was drive us all even further apart and worst, against each other! How is this antiquated law meant to make us a family, if we, the heirs of the clans, just are trying to kill each other? No, it has to go and is on top of my list.” Ling replied, looking determined at his little sister.

Mei sat there astonished for a moment before she started asking further. “Then how do you want to unite us, if not by concubinage?”

“Through the second major change I want to do.” Ling said, making a little pause before he continued, “I want to do away with the emperor’s current council. As far as I know, they never question the emperor. They just say yes to everything he says. This is why I want to assemble a new council, made up out of the heirs, or their substitutes, of the clans.”

“A council made up out of _us_?” Mei exclaimed flabbergasted.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because, I want a council that questions me. If they just agree with everything I say, I won’t get anywhere. I may know the problems and needs my clan has, but I don’t know the problems and needs of the others.” Ling turned to Mei and looked directly at her, “What does your clan need, Chang? What do you need me to do?’”

“I...I don’t…” Mei started, looking down onto her knees, not knowing what to say, when it suddenly hit her and she looked back up at Ling’s face. “The taxes!”

“Huh?”

“The taxes my clan has to pay are so high, we have barely enough money to buy food. Some people already started to trade the food they grew between them, because they can’t afford to buy it on the market.”

“How much do you have to pay?”

“40’000 Yuan.”

Hearing that sum made Ling do a double take. “Why the hell would your clan have to pay the same amount as mine? That’s crazy! Even I know that the people of your clan aren’t wealthy enough to pay that!”

“You have to pay the same amount?” Mei exclaimed, just to sigh and look to the ground again, “Of course the Yao clan would be able to pay it. That’s what you expect from one of the wealthiest clans of Xing.”

“Just because my clan is wealthy, doesn’t mean we have no problems.” Ling said and sighed. “Some time ago the Emperor put a new law out, where clans are only allowed to buy a maximum of 2’500 tons of rice per year from other clans no matter how large they are. A smaller clan may not really be affected by this, but how are half-a-million people supposed to get full, with only five kilograms of rice per person per year? Five kilograms... I’d eat that in a month!”

“Can’t you just grow more rice on your fields? Your clan rules a large area, right?” Mei asked, but Ling shook his head.

“The people of my clan are mostly scholars, merchants and artisans, only a few are farmers and they could never provide enough for everyone. That’s why we always bought food from the other clans.”

Mei got quiet and looked back down onto the ground. “The emperor’s is cruel.”

“Yes, he is.” Ling agreed and put his hand on Mei’s head, petting her. “I’ll do better. I promise.”

 

_A few hours later._

The sun was already setting when Ling sat up and rubbed his eyes. He had slept better, but also worse since he had left Xing. He got up and saw Lan Fan and Mei rolling up their bed rolls already. Greed however, was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey, have you seen Greed?”

“He came back with me, but he wasn’t here anymore when I woke up.” Lan Fan replied.

Ling nodded and looked to the door and then back to the two girls. “I’ll look for him, could you two make everything ready, so we can eat something and then head home.”

“Yes, of course young prince.” Lan Fan replied and Ling left the house, a lantern in his hand.

He was wandering around, looking for Greed and occasionally calling his name, when he heard a voice echoing through the Ruins. At first he couldn’t make out the words, but when he got closer, he realized that what he was hearing, was a song.

While Ling followed the voice, he listened to the lyrics, which told about loneliness, seeing ruins and remembering better times. It was a sad and hopeful song at the same time.

It didn’t take him long to end up at a larger ruin. Most of it had crumbled over the ages, leaving only part of the walls standing. In the middle, stood Greed singing to nobody but himself.

Ling watched his friend silently till Greed had finished his song and then approached him while applauding him.  
“Bravo! That was great!”

Surprised, Greed turned towards the clapping and grinned when he saw who it was.  
“Thanks. Though I’m a little out of practice.”

“Still sounded good. Are you feeling better?” Ling asked, but Greed shook his head.

“No. I tried sleeping, but it just made my headaches even worse. Needed to get my mind off thinking about this place. You were all sleeping, so singing to myself was the only thing that came to my mind.”

“Then you’ll be glad to hear, that we’ll leave as soon as we finished dinner.”

“That’s the best thing I heard all day.” Greed replied relieved and turned to leave.

Ling smiled, but his face turned serious again, when his view fell onto the wall in front which Greed had been singing. There was a large mural of what seemed to be a transmutation circle, with the top part missing.

“Are you coming?” Greed asked, seeing how his friend still looked at the mural. “Ling? Is something wrong?”

Ling turned to Greed and shook his head, “No, no. It isn’t that important. I’ll tell you when we’re back in Xing. Now come, I’m hungry!”

“Hah! You’re always hungry.” Greed laughed, which got him a reply from Ling’s rumbling stomach.

 

Back at the camp were Lan Fan and Mei handing out bowls with soup.

Greed had just put a spoon full of soup into his mouth, when Ling addressed him, “You said you were out of practice, does that mean you used to sing regularly?”

Greed swallowed his soup and nodded proudly. “Yeah. You know how much I love attention, right? Who do you think are the two most famous people in a pub? The barkeeper and the man behind the piano. Naturally, I played music and sang for everyone whenever I wanted to.”

“Sounds like you had fun.” Ling smiled, eating a spoon of soup himself.

“Yeah, it was awesome.” Greed grinned, “Would’ve loved if I could’ve thrown a party every week.”

“What stopped you?” Mei asked.

“Well, as much as I love attention, if my pub would’ve gotten too much attention, my old man could’ve gotten wind of it and…” Greed replied and got quiet. With a sad face he continued. “Well, you know what happened when he did.”

The group ate in silence for a moment, until Greed pressed one hand at his forehead. He took it away again, took a deep breath und swallowed hard.

Ling couldn’t watch his friend any longer and put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it. “Greed. No one is gonna judge you for mourning your friends.”

Greed turned his head just a little towards Ling and looked then back to the ground. Tears now running down his face.

“It’s my fault. It’s my fault they’re dead.” Greed said, burying his face in his hands. “If I hadn’t told them to kidnap Al, they’d be still alive.”

“You did what?! Why would you kidnap Alphonse!” Mei exclaimed furious.

Greed looked up, still tears in his eyes and replied, “Because I’m a fucking greedy asshole! I wanted money, fame, power and being immortal! And if you may have noticed, Homunculi are not truly immortal! So, I wanted to know how to bind my soul to an armor like Al! I wanted everything! Forever!” With every word, he clawed at the sand on the ground. Greed held one fist up, the sand running through his fingers and falling to the ground. “I wanted so much, I lost everything I had. My home. My friends. My body. Even my memories.” 

Mei got quiet for a moment, but then replied with determination in her voice, “What happened to you was horrible, but it doesn’t excuse what you did!” 

“No. It doesn’t.” Greed agreed. He hung his head, looking at the ground, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for what I did.”

“Then apologize.” Ling said.

“How? My men are dead! How am I supposed to apologize to them?”

“They may be dead, but Alphonse isn’t.” Ling replied. “If you feel sorry for what you did, then apologize to him the next time you see him.”

Greed looked at Ling, thinking about his words and then nodded. “Yeah, I’ll do that.”

“Good. Now let’s go, we have a long way to go.” Ling said.

 

_They were walking for some hours, the sun had set some time ago and their only light source were two lanterns, held by Lan Fan and Mei._

Lan Fan, holding her lantern in front of herself, walked ahead, always looking out for danger. They may be wandering through a desert, but she wouldn’t let her prince get hurt this close to home. 

Ling himself lead the water buffalo forward through the desert sand. Normally he would’ve sat on its back, but he didn’t mind the walking, if he wanted to serve his people as emperor, he had to start small. Like in making sure that his little sister would rest her leg, until they could meet a healer back home.

Mei, sitting on the buffalo, checked occasionally on Fu’s body and their luggage on the carriage. She was just about to turn to face forward again, as she noticed that Greed wasn’t walking next to the buffalo anymore.

“Huh? Greed? Where…?” Mei said confused. She held up her lantern and looked around, seeing Greed a ways behind them. His walk was unsure and stumbling and Mei had to watch in shock as he collapsed onto the sand.

“Stop!” Mei exclaimed loudly, startling Ling and Lan Fan.

“What’s wrong, Mei?” Ling asked, turning to his sister, but she just pointed behind them to where Greed was laying on the ground.

Ling’s eyes went wide and he bolted to his friend. 

“Greed! What’s wrong?” Ling asked, kneeling down next to him.

“My head hurts.” Greed replied, as he tried to pick himself up from the ground. “My vision’s all fuzzy.”

“Wait, I’ll help you up.” Ling said, putting Greed’s right arm over his shoulder. “Can you stand?”

“I’ll try.” Greed replied and slowly got back on his feet with Ling’s help.

“Come, I help you walk to the cart, you can ride with Fu.” Ling offered, but Greed shook his head.

“No, I can walk. I can walk.” Greed protested.

“Are you sure?” Ling asked, as they made their way to the others.

“Yeah… I think.” Greed replied and then held his left hand at his forehead. 

“Are you alright?” Mei asked, when they caught up with her and Lan Fan.

“No, not really.” Greed replied, as he walked, supported by Ling, next to the water buffalo again. “God damn, I feel so shitty.”

“I don’t want to say _’I told you so’,_ but I told you to get some rest before we left.” Ling said.

“You did,” Greed confirmed, “but it isn’t because of that. It’s… it’s this place. I thought it would get better as soon as we’d leave the ruins, but it didn’t. Now I don’t just have a headache, I also started to see things that aren’t there.”

“What are you seeing?” Mei asked.

“It’s hard to explain. It’s like I’m seeing the ghosts of buildings. Like the buildings from back then.” Greed replied and shook his head. “That was over 400 years ago! I didn’t exist back then! Why am I seeing this stuff?! Why am I... ” he paused and continued much quieter, “Why am I feeling so guilty?”

“Hmm, maybe it’s because you are made from them?” Mei suggested.

“Maybe. Though I never felt like this before.” Greed replied. “Before it was mostly incoherent screaming in the back of my head. Now it’s a sickening headache. Kinda like how I felt after… after I killed Bido.”

“So, what you’re seeing are memories of your soul.” Ling said, remembering the images he saw in Greed’s soul after he had killed Bido.

“But, the other souls are gone. Why am I seeing their memories?”

“Because your body is made up out of them. So even though they are gone, they are still a part of you.”

Greed went silent after hearing Ling’s words to think about them.

 

_Some time and many dunes later._

“Would it have been better, if I had turned to dust?” Greed wondered out loud.

Ling stopped dead in his tracks, turned around and slapped Greed across the face. 

Greed stared at Ling in shock and before he even could react, he got grabbed by his collar.

“Do you think a single time, before you open your mouth? I had to watch Fu die and just a few hours later, I nearly saw _YOU_ die! And you are seriously asking me, if it would’ve been better for you had turned to dust? How much of an idiot are you?!”

Greed, still shocked about the unexpected slap, was just about to respond to Ling, but got cut off just as he opened his mouth.

“Oh no! Not this time! I’ll take you to Xing and if I have to drag you through this desert on your ears and nothing you’ll say will stop me from that!”

With that Ling let go of Greed’s collar, took his right hand and continued walking.

The group continued their walk to Xing without anyone saying anything. There was an awkward silence between them until Greed dared to break it.

“I’m sorry.”

Ling didn’t react and just continued walking, completely ignoring Greed.

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” Greed tried again, but Ling still didn’t react. “I’m sorry I lied to you. I just couldn’t think of another way out. I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“But you did.” Ling finally said, turning his head back to Greed. “Can you even imagine how horrible it was to have to watch you fly into pieces?”

Greed shook guilty his head, but couldn’t help himself from smiling after a moment.

“What’s so funny about that?” Ling asked irritated.

“Nothing, really, but...“ Greed replied, pausing for a moment. “It’s just, that that was the first time in my whole life, where I didn’t feel empty. I mean, I was about to turn to dust, but then I saw you and Ed and _you_ were okay. Damn, this is gonna sound so cheesy, but that was the first time I did something for someone else. And I just felt good. I didn’t want anything anymore.”

Ling took a deep breath and slightly squeezed Greed’s hand. “What about now? Do you still not want anything anymore?” 

Greed thought for a moment and then replied. “I want a bath.” He paused and then continued, “I have sand in places I didn’t even know they existed and I’m cold. So I want a really hot bath. I want to lie into a bathtub filled with hot water and not move for at least two hours.”

This unexpected answer made Ling laugh.

“Well, if it’s a hot bath you want, how about a bath in a hot spring? Xing has many of them.”

“Isn’t there even a hot spring inside the imperial palace?” Mei pitched in.

“Oh, yes, you’re right.” Ling said, confirming Mei’s words and turned to Greed, “I heard it’s one of the prettiest in the whole country. I’ll take you there when I’m emperor.”

“Sounds great.” Greed replied with a big grin. After a while he asked, “Say, Ling, can I have my hand back?”

“No. I’m not letting go of you. Not till we’re in Xing,” Ling replied, determined to not lose Greed again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you liked this chapter. :)
> 
> I got the idea of the group traveling with a xingese water buffalo from seeing [this Artwork by Hiromu Arakawa.](http://www.zerochan.net/1698341#full)
> 
> [The song Greed is singing. ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytie995zY-Q)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ling tells some important people who's the boss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~ sorry this chapter took so long, but I feel like the longer it takes me to finish a chapter, the better they get. =)
> 
> As always a big thanks to [ace-spacepup](http://ace-spacepup.tumblr.com/) for helping me figure some stuff out and generally bearing with my out-of-the-blue FMA questions. xD

“These are the last ones.” Mei said, handing Ling and Lan Fan each a water bottle.

“Thank you.” Lan Fan said and drank mouthful of water, before she gave the bottle back to Mei. “You should drink some water too.”

“Alright.” Mei replied and took a sip from the bottle herself. Then she filled the cap with water, so Xiao-Mei could drink some water too.

“You can floor the bottle.” Ling said, as he handed it to Greed, whose right hand he was still holding.

“Are you sure? This is the last bit of water we have left.” Greed replied.

Ling nodded and pointed ahead. “Can you see the green hills ahead?”

“Yes?”

“That is Xing.”

Wide-eyed Greed stared at Ling, “Wait, so we’re finally there?”

“Almost,” Ling replied, “I think we should arrive at the border in an hour.”

 

_An hour and a stop at the xingese border control, to get temporary papers for Greed, later, they finally arrived in Xing._

Ling took a deep breath and smiled. “It’s good to be back in Xing.”

“Oh yes!” Mei agreed, “Finally Home!” She sighed and looked down, petting Xiao-Mei on her lap, “Then this means goodbye.”

“Why?” Ling asked confused, looking at his little sister.

“Well, because we’re back in Xing and I have to go back to my Clan. Just as you have to go to the capital city, to become Emperor.” Mei explained, but Ling was having none of it.

“Forget it! I’m not letting you walk home with a still healing leg! Especially not as far as where your clan lives!”

“My leg is fine! I can walk home all right!” Mei exclaimed.

Ling just glared at her and then poked her leg without warning, making Mei yelp.

“That settles it. I take you home to my place and let the healers there take a look at your leg.” he decided, ignoring Mei’s pouting.

That said, Ling turned around to Greed, who was looking around wide-eyed. “Greed, are you comming?”

Greed didn’t react and kept looking all over the place, so Ling went to him and laid his hand his shoulder. “Greed. Are you alright?”

“What? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.” Greed finally replied, earning him a judging look from Ling. “Really! I just… didn’t expect Xing to be this big and colorful. It’s like… looking at a painting.”

“Haha, just wait till you see the capital of the Yao clan, or even the Capital City of Xing.” Ling replied laughing and the group continued inlands.

 

_Some time later, they arrived infront of a huge gate._

It was closed, so Ling went to a small window in the gate and knocked on it.

“Who is there? What is your business in the capital city of the Yao clan?” a guard behind the gate asked through the window.

“I am prince Ling Yao, heir of the Yao clan. Now open the gate, I’m coming home.” Ling replied.

There was an audible gasp to hear behind the window and the guard Ling had talked to started to open the gate at once, letting the group in. Another guard, who had heard everything, went to inform everyone he could find. “The prince is back! Prince Ling is home!”

Soon the already busy street behind the city gate was filled with people, who wanted to welcome Ling.

“Woah, Ling seems to be pretty popular.” Greed meant, now walking next to Lan Fan, who lead the water buffalo through the crowd.

“The whole clan sets its hopes into the young prince. So yes, he is.” Lan Fan explained briefly, as they tried to catch up with Ling.

Meanwhile, Mei felt very uncomfortable on top of the buffalo. Everywhere were members of the Yao clan and while Ling and Lan Fan were being nice to her, she didn’t believe the other members of the clan would react the same.

 

Ling stopped infront of a large building, where a strict looking man was standing infront of a staircase. Ling took a deep breath and steeled himself before he greeted him. “Uncle.”

“You are late, Ling. You really took your time with coming back. Did looking at those old ruins distract you from your task?” Ling’s uncle asked with crossed arms.

“No, it didn’t, but it isn’t easy to get a Philosopher’s Stone, uncle Yan. It isn’t like you can go to Amestris and just buy one in a store.” Ling replied, clenching his fists. He had been happy about finally coming home, but now he wished, he had stayed away a bit longer. 

“But you got one, didn’t you?” Ling’s uncle asked uncaring. 

 

“Who does that guy think he is?” Greed asked out loud, promting Lan Fan to put a hand over Greed’s mouth at once.

“That is the young Prince’s uncle, Yan Yao. Now watch what you say, or you will get yourself into trouble.”

“He doesn’t seem very nice.” Mei said in a low voice, looking over to where her half-brother and his uncle were having a conversation.

 

“Yes. I got a Philosopher’s Stone.” Ling replied dryly.

“Then why are you here? You should be on the way to the Emperor’s palace!” Yan said through gritted teeth.

“Because, I wanted to bring Fu home first.” Ling said and opened his eyes looking right at his uncle.

“Excuse me? Since when does a retainer of the Yao family need their prince to bring them home? And close your eyes, you know I don‘t want to see them!”  
Ling didn’t close his eyes and just kept looking at his uncle with a sad and disappointed look on his face. “Uncle, Fu is dead.”

These news clearly shocked Yan and for a moment he stared speechless at Ling.

“If you don’t have anything else to say to me, I will now go and eat something before I travel to the Capital.” Ling said, turned around and walked to Lan Fan, Greed and Mei.

Ling had just reached them, when a woman wearing the same black clothes as Lan Fan appeared.  
“Welcome home, young prince.”

“Fong! It’s good to see you.” Ling said and his face eased up at once. 

“Who’s the lady?” Greed asked curiously, to which Lan Fan replied, “My mother.”

“Your mom’s a bodyguard too?”

“My family has served and protected the Yao clan for generations.” Lan Fan explained.

 

“It is good to have you back too, Lan Fan and... where is your grandfather?” Fong asked, looking around for Fu, but was only met with long faces. She took a deep breath and turned back to Ling.  
“How?”

“Fu, he... was protecting me.” Ling replied, feeling guilty that he hadn’t been able to save Fu even though he had aquired a Philosopher’s Stone.

Hearing Ling’s words, Fong exhaled and laid her hands on Ling’s shoulders. “Prince Ling, protecting you, was the most important thing for my father. He would be glad, if he knew, that you made it back home safe and sound.”

Ling nodded, knowing that she was right.

“You have to be hungry, prince Ling. The kitchen prepared some food for you and your friends. I’ll take care of everything else.” Fong said, trying to get Ling’s attention away from the sad topic they had been talking about.

“Thank you.” Ling replied and then remembered something. “Fong, could you please call for a doctor? Mei Chang, my younger sister, has an injured leg and needs someone to look at it.” he said, pointing to Mei, who got helped down the buffalo by Lan Fan.

Fong turned her head towards Mei and nodded, “Yes, of course. I will make sure that a doctor will come for her as soon as possible.”

Ling thanked her again and then went to the dining room with the others.

 

They sat down by a low table. Ling, Lan Fan and Mei started eating at once, while Greed just sat there very confused.

“Is something wrong?”

“I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with these knitting needles.” Greed replied, holding a chopstick in each hand.

Ling tried hard not to laugh, but couldn’t avoid a small chuckle. “They are not knitting needles, they’re chopsticks. Here in Xing we use those instead of knife and fork.”

“Ooh! And how do you use them?” Greed asked and listened closely, when Ling explained to him how to hold the chopsticks. He tried to do as told, but one of them kept slipping out of his hand.

“Wait, let me help you. Give me your chopsticks.” Ling said and took a small piece of paper and a hair tie out of the pocket of his pants. He took Greed’s chopsticks and tied his hair tie around the broader ends, with the, now folded, piece of paper dividing the chopsticks. “Try now.”

“Thanks. I kinda feel like an idiot.”

“Don’t. I’d say everyone on this table learned how to eat with chopsticks this way.” Ling said and both Lan Fan and Mei nodded agreeing.

 

Half an hour later, after they had finished their meal, a doctor appeared to take care of Mei’s leg.

Meanwhile, Ling talked to Lan Fan outside of the doctor’s office.  
“Lan Fan, please make everything ready so the two of us can leave towards the capital right away.”

“Yes, of course, young prince.” Lan Fan replied and made herself ready to leave. 

“What do you mean, _the two_ of you? You can’t just ditch me here, while you go and kick your dad off his throne.” Greed said out loud, having leaned against the wall, he pushed himself off of it and went to Ling and Lan Fan. “I want to come with you.”

“I didn’t want to ditch you Greed, but you look exhausted. Are you sure you want to come with Lan Fan and me, instead of resting?”

“I am tired,” Greed admitted and added with a determined look on his face, “but you pulled me through that freaking desert. I can’t just sit here and rest, while you go through yours.”

Ling’s tense face eased up a bit and he gave Greed a little smile. “Thank you.”

That settled, Lan Fan left the building, to prepare everything for their travel to the capital.

 

_After changing into clean clothes, Ling and Greed walked outside._

“So, how long will the walk to the Capital be?” Greed asked, steeling himself mentally for another marathon walk.

“Oh, we’re not going to walk to the Capital. We’re going to ride there.” Ling said and pointed to Lan Fan, who was standing next to three horses.

Greed stood there for a moment and stared at the horses, before he followed Ling.

“Uh, just so you know. I never sat on a horse before, I have no idea how to ride one.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.” Ling replied and then went on to pet a white horse. “Bai, good to see you. I missed you my friend.”

“Chubu is very patient with inexperienced riders.” Lan Fan said and lead a chestnut colored horse to Greed.

He took the bridle and cautiously looked at Chubu, but the horse just calmly stood there, not showing any discomfort around Greed.

They were just about to mount their horses, when Mei came running towards them.   
“Wait!”

Ling turned towards her and sighed. “You’re supposed to rest! I’m not going to take you with us, just so you know it.”

Mei pouted for a moment, before she hugged him tightly. “Be careful, big brother.”

“I will. We’ll be back soon.” Ling said and returned the hug.

“Have a save journey, young prince.” Fong said, having just joined the group.

“Thank you. Please prepare rooms for Mei and Greed while we’re gone.” Ling said and then turned back to Mei and laid a hand on her head. “If anyone mistreats you, while I’m gone, let Fong know and she will take care of them.”

With that Ling, Lan Fan and Greed mounted their horses and so their journey began.  
Or almost, rather. While Ling and Lan Fan had already made some way, Greed still tried to convince his horse to follow his command to start walking.

“Hey! How do I make him do what I want?” he called over.

Ling turned his head and couldn’t help but smile a little, seeing Greed sit this clueless on his horse.  
“Lan Fan.”

Lan Fan nodded and whistled, wherreupon Greed’s horse calmly walked to them.

“How did you do that?” Greed asked confused.  
“How did you get him to listen to a single whistle, when I didn’t get him to move no matter what I did? I thought he was easy to use for beginners?”

“I said he is patient with beginners, means he won’t try to throw you off his back no matter what you do.” Lan Fan explained.

 

They rode along the main road towards the Capital and Greed kept looking in awe at the xingese buildings they rode by. Luckily his horse kept a steady pace with Ling’s and Lan Fans horses and soon they could see the walls of the Capital City of Xing.

The guards at the main gate let them in after Ling introduced himself, sending a guard ahead to the palace.

“Hey Ling, look!” Greed said, pointing to a house by the road.

“You really like xingese buildings.” Ling replied with a smile.

“Yeah, they’re pretty! I also love their roofs, the dragons on them look so cool!”

 

Some time later they reached a red gate in a yellow wall.

“We’re here.” Ling said and dismounted his horse.

Lan Fan and Greed followed suit and all of them gave their horses into the care of a nearby guard.

Another guard opened the gate and two more guards joined the group to escort them to the throne room.

“Greed, don’t forget to bow low, when we meet the emperor.” Lan Fan reminded him.

“Are there rules for bowing?”

“Yes, there are. The lower your rank, the lower you bow.”

“Just bow lower than Lan Fan and you’ll be fine.” Ling said.

They walked up the stairs which were flanked by the statues of a tiger and an elephant.

Are we really in the palace? This place is huge!”

“Yes, this is the palace of the Emperor of Xing. It’s said it has one thousand one hundred eleven rooms.” Ling said, earning him a shocked look from Greed.

“Over throusand one hundred… what the hell!”

“You should refrain from swearing infront of the emperor, Greed. You would get yourself into more than just a bit trouble. The emperor is not known to tolerate a break in etiquette.” Lan Fan told him with a serious look.

“Okay, I better keep my mouth shut then.”

“Yes, just leave the talking to me.” Ling said and a moment later they reached the door to the throne room of the emperor.

“Prince Ling Yao, heir to the Yao clan and bodyguards!” a guard announced them and they entered the throne room.

Inside, Ling bowed his head, while Lan Fan bowed low, pulling on Greed’s sleeve to make him bow even lower.

“Prince Ling, the Emperor heard of your travel to Amestris in search for a Philosopher’s Stone. He hopes you bring good news.” a man in gold embroidered red robes said.

Ling swallowed, this was the moment that would determine not just the future of his own clan, but also the future of the whole country.

“Yes, I aquired a Philosopher’s Stone.” he said and showed the Stone in the small bottle.

“Excellent! Bring it to his imperial majesty at once!” the imperial advisor said, but Ling didn’t move.

“No.”

“Excuse me prince Ling, I must have misheard your words. You surely meant to say that you would gladly give the Stone to his imperial majesty at once.” the advisor said, but Ling just looked straight into the Emperor’s face.

“No. I won’t give the Emperor the Philosopher’s Stone. I never intended to hand the Stone over in the first place.” Ling said calmly, while the imperial advisors mouth and eyes widened in horror.

“You dare?” the Emperor said angry, glaring down at Ling from his throne.

“Yes, I do! My retainers and I risked our lives to get this Stone, I will not hand it over.”

“I understand.” the Emperor said, running his thumb over his chin, “What do you want in exchange?”

“I want the throne!” Ling said in a voice that let no doubt that he was serious.

“You can not be serious!” the advisor gasped.

Ling turned his head to the advisor and looked him dead in the eye.  
“I have never been as serious as in this moment. I came here to become the next Emperor of Xing and I won’t leave until I aquired the throne.”

“So you will hand over the Philosopher’s Stone in exchange for the throne?” the emperor asked probing.

“No. I demand that you retire in exchange for nothing.”

“Who do you think you are?!” the emperor shouted, having shot up from his throne in anger.

“I am Ling Yao, 12th prince and heir to the throne of Xing.” Ling said just as calm as before.  
“You can either retire now and save your face, or I can tell everyone that your _declining health_ was just a farce to send your children into certain death to satisfy your own greed! Someone in bad health does not jump out of his chair as you just did!” he said now, anger showing in every word.

For a moment the whole throne room was in dead silence. Not even the guards, who had drawn their weapons just a moment ago, moved, too heavy hung Ling’s words in the air.

After what felt like an eternity the emperor sat down again.

“Your Majesty?” the imperial advisor asked, but the emperor did not respond. He just looked in cold anger at Ling.

“Seems the matter is settled.” Ling said. He turned to the imperial advisor and crossed his arms.  
“What are you waiting for? Start writing a retirement form at once and show it to me when you are done.”

Shocked the advisor nearly let his pen fall, barely catching it in the last moment.  
“Yes! Yes, of course!”

He wrote the document on official imperial paper and then showed it to Ling.  
“I hope it is to your liking, your highness.”

Ling read the retirement form and nodded. “Good. Now make a copy of it.”

After the advisor had copied the form, Ling controlled it again and then handed both of them to the emperor.  
“Sign them. I will take one of them with me.”

Relucantly the emperor signed the papers.  
“Do you have anything else you want to tell me?”

“Yes. I give you two months to leave the palace.” Ling said and took the signed original form.

“Lan Fan, Greed, we’re going home.” Ling said, turned around and headed to the door.

 

Outside the palace Greed let out a laugh.  
“Hah! That was amazing! You were amazing! Did you see the look on the emperor’s face when you told him to get lost?”

Ling himself let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall by the gate of the palace.

“My prince! Are you alright?” Lan Fan asked worried.

“I’m fine. That was just very intense. I didn’t think it would go this easy.” Ling replied.

They got their horses from the guard and made their way back to Ling’s place.

 

A few hours later, the sun had already set, they were back at the palace of Ling’s family.

Lan Fan was taking care of the horses, while Ling and Greed went inside. There Fong was waiting for them and showed them the way to Greed’s room.

In the room Greed looked around wide-eyed.

“Do you like the room? It isn’t the biggest, but I think it is the closest guest room to mine.” Ling said.

“If I like it? Are you kidding me? I think I could fit the room I had in the Devil’s nest twice, if not three times in here! This is awesome!” Greed replied, now sitting down on the edge of the large bed. “Comfy~♪.”

“I’m glad you like it.” Ling said with a smile.

“Oh, young prince! Princess Mei had wanted to wait for your return, but fell asleep some time ago. I took the liberty of bringing her to bed.” Fong said.

“Ah, thank you Fong, for taking care of my sister.” Ling replied. He tried to hide a yawn and then turned back to Greed. “I better go to bed too, see you tomorrow Greed.”

“...Greed?”

Greed was lying on his bed and didn’t move. Worried, Ling went to the bed to check on him, just to find his friend to be sound asleep.”

“You were really at your limit, weren’t you.” Ling said and pulled the blanket over Greed, then he sat down on the edge of the bed and run a hand over Greed’s face.  
“I’m glad you’re still alive and that you came to Xing with me.”

He sat there for a moment, watching Greed sleep, before he got up and left the room.

 

The next morning, Ling had just entered the dining room, when he heard his uncle’s voice shout with an angry voice.

“What is a member of the Chang clan doing here? Who dared to let you into the palace of the Yao clan?”

“I did.” Ling said, stepping infront of Mei to shield her from his uncle’s anger.

“How dare you bring a member of an enemy clan here?” Yan Yao growled, stepping closer to Ling.

“No. How dare _you_ to harass my little sister?” Ling replied, not moving an inch and glaring down his uncle.

“Do not talk in this tone with me, Ling! I am your uncle!”

“And I am the future Emperor of Xing.” Ling said, holding up the retirement form he had aquired yesterday. “And you will treat my sister with the same respect you are supposed to give me! Are we clear?”

Ling’s uncle took disbelieving the paper out of Ling’s hand and read it, growing pale and paler with every word. When he was done he handed the form back to Ling and left wordlessly the room.

Ling sighed and turned around to Mei.  
“Are you alright?”

Mei, who hadn’t said a word till now, looked at Ling with tears in her eyes and threw her arms around him.

“I’m sorry. My uncle is an asshole.” Ling said, pulling her close.

“Maybe it would be better if I went home.” Mei said, “I don’t want to cause you any more trouble.”

“Don’t worry about that. He always finds ways to let his mood out on other people. Mostly on me.”

“But why?”

Ling went silent for a moment before he answered.  
“I think it’s because he hates that my mother, his sister, had to become the emperor’s concubine to give birth to the next heir to the Yao clan.”

“But…but that’s not fair! It’s not like that is your fault!”

“It isn’t, but I don’t think he cares.” Ling said and patted Mei’s head.  
“Come, let’s eat breakfast, I’m hungry.”

They had just sat down at the table, when the door opened and Greed entered.  
“Ah, here you are! This place is huge!”

“Morning sleepyhead, sleep well?” Ling asked grinning.

“Morning. Yeah, slept like a stone.” Greed replied and sat down next to Ling.

“Lan Fan’s not here yet?” he asked, filling his bowl with rice.

“No, she’s eating with her family.” Ling replied.

“Ah. I thought she never leaves your side.”

“Normally that’s how it is, but it’s been some time since she saw her family. Also with Fu dead I...I wanted her to spend some time with them.”

“Makes sense.” Greed said and took a sip from his tea. “What do you have planned next? Move into the emperor’s palace?”

“Not quite yet.” Ling said. “First I have to take care of Fu’s funeral, after that I’ll bring Mei home and _then_ I can take care of the crowning.

“You know, I can go home alone! You don’t have to bring me.” Mei pouted.

Ling put his elbow on the table and put his head on his hand.

“And you know that you’d have to walk through the territories of at least four to five clans to get there?” he said, looking at her with a half open eye. “I don’t doubt that you could go home alone, but it would be dangerous.”

“My clan isn’t important enough to attack me.” Mei replied, though more quiet then before.

Ling sighed and poked his sister in the side, making her squee out of surprise.

“Hey! What was that for?”

“For saying that your clan isn’t important enough to attack you. Your clan may be small, but if a member of a different clan sees you leave the territory of the Yao clan, they’ll assume at once that our clans are allied. Which is a fact, and then they’ll attack you, to get to me.”

“Sorry, for interrupting your little sibling banter, but could one of you explain to me what you mean when you say Mei’s clan is small? So far I haven’t seen anything _small_ in Xing.” Greed asked them.

The siblings looked at each other and then back to Greed.

“The Chang clan consists of around five hundred people. That is considered very small in Xing, compared to the other clans, especially the Yao clan.” Mei explained.

Greed nodded and then looked at Ling.

“The Yao clan is one of the largest clans in Xing, with a bit over five hundred thousand people in it.” Ling continued the explanation.

Hearing that Greed just stared at Ling in horror.

“What the fuck?!”

“What? I said one of the largest clans, not _the_ largest.”

“Are you kidding me? Your clan is huuuge! Comparing your clans is like… comparing me to my dad!”

“What do you mean?” Mei asked.

“My dad had like half a million souls inside of him. And when he made me, he put around five hundred souls inside me. So comparing your clans is _literally_ like comparing me to my dad.” Greed said, still a shocked expression on his face.

“The comparison makes it scary.” Mei replied, feeling uneasy.

“With the difference, that I am trying to protect you. So let me bring you home, okay?” Ling said, patting her head again.

She sighed and gave in. “Fine.”

After they finished eating breakfast, Ling met up with Lan Fan and her family to discuss Fu’s funeral. Greed and Mei, left to their own, decided to explore the capital of the Yao clan for a bit.

 

_A few days later._

It was early in the morning as Ling knocked at Greed’s door. At first, nothing happened, so Ling knocked again. This time louder. He heard a loud thud and a moment later the door opened.

“Huh?” Greed said, leaning against the doorframe, eyes half closed. He only wore pyjama pants and his hair was a mess. He looked like he had fallen out of the bed. Which was exactly the case.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Ling grinned.

“Oh, Ling. Morning.” Greed replied and rubbed his eyes. “Wanna come in?” he asked and opened the door, so Ling could enter.

“Yes, thank you.” Ling said, entered Greed’s room and closed the door behind himself. “You look like you fell out of the bed.”

“Got tangled up in the blanket and when I tried to get out of bed, I faceplanted.” Greed replied yawning.

Ling couldn’t help himself and had to laugh. “I would’ve loved to see that.”

“I bet you would.” Greed said and stretched.

“You sound like you didn’t have a very pleasant night. Did you have a nightmare?” Ling asked concerned.

“Ah, no. The opposite to be honest. Didn’t dream at all. No, it’s more…” Greed sighed and scratched his head. “I don’t know how I should put it. My whole life I had hundreds of souls screaming in my head all the time. Made sleeping difficult, but I was used to it. Now? Now they’re gone and and everything’s so quiet, it’s creeping me out. Like, I’m just about to fall asleep and then I hear the tiniest noise and am wide awake again.”

Ling nodded understanding, “Mhm, I can imagine that that has to be a big change for you.”

“Yeah. But anyway, what do you want? Has to be something serious, or you wouldn’t skip breakfast, that is if I haven’t overslept and missed breakfast.” Greed asked.

“Don’t worry, you haven’t missed breakfast.” Ling said with a sad smile. “Though I’m not really hungry this morning.”

That made Greed raise an eyebrow. “Okay, this has to be really serious. You are _never_ not hungry. What’s up?”

“Today is Fu’s funeral.” Ling said sad.

“Oh… right.” Greed said. 

There was a moment of silence in the room, as Greed waited for Ling to say something.

Ling took a breath. “Would you accompany me to the funeral? I could use your support.”

“Of course.” Greed replied.

“Thank you.”

“No problem.” Greed said. “So, we’re going to the funeral right now?”

“After breakfast, yes. Here, take this robe.” Ling said and handed Greed a black robe. “It’s Xing formal wear for funerals.”

Greed took the robe and then took off his pants to slip into the robe.

“You know, normally people wait till they’re alone, before they start to take off their clothes.” Ling meant grinning, shaking his head.

“Yeah, but we shared a body for half a year, so I don’t care. Also, I look awesome.” Greed said, pointing his thumb at himself.

“You’re really one of a kind, you know that?” Ling laughed and sat down on a chair.

Greed looked to Ling and then grinned broadly. “Yeah! And proud of it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter, the next is already in work. =)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter of this fanfic.  
> Please tell me what you think about it, it helps motivate me while I work on the next chapter.


End file.
